I have never heard the CT 17 or the 23. They are what they are IMO. The beginning of home theater age of preamps. From what I know of Bob Carver he was always keeping up with the new technology but always keeping with the tradition of 2 channel. You can see it in his Sunfire TGP series. I know of that because I own the original TGP and it is an above average preamp that will do HT and 2 channel very well.

IMO if you really want one of Carver's better preamps, look for a C400, C1, C11, C16, C19 or the Sunfire Classic tube preamp. Also you might want to look at a Phase Liner but I have never had one but I have heard nothing but good feedback. That is if you want a 2 channel system. If you want HT with good 2 channel look for a Sunfire. It will give you DD and DTS and will work well in stereo mode.

I hope this will help in your search of a preamp. If you want to talk more, pm me or talk to Tom, forum member that goes by beemers417. Look up his number at http://vintagehifipgh.com/. He is a very good reference for Bob Carver and other preamps than anyone else I know of.

I'm using a CT-17 now in my bedroom system. I'm mainly using it for the remote, but it is a very adequate pre. I don't like the way the sonic holigraphy engages , but after it is on it's OK. I agree with Thuffman, the C-1, C-11, or one of the tubed pre amps are the better choice just for sound quality. I disagree that the Phase Linear pre amps are any better from my experience even though I will use one for nostalgic reasons.

There are obviously a lot of choices out there, it really depends on what you're looking to use it for, what features or options you want and of course how much you can spend. The C-1, C-11 are excellent but lack a built in tuner and remote options. I really don't believe them to be leaps and bounds better then some of the early CT models that do have these features. The C-16 and C-19 on the other hand are both incredible sounding Carver preamps. But again, depending on what you plan on using them for may not be a right fit. No remote, no tuner, no digital inputs and strictly 2 channel stereo. Plus, these command a much higher price then your average Carver preamp, edging towards and some times exceeding the Sunfire pres.

I think this guy is a spammer. I dont know why they call them spammers. Spam is pork shoulder and ham, I like spam fried with eggs. Should call them scrapplers as scrapple is made from all the discusting parts of a pig